Wednesday, July 06, 2005

The design / build studio is made possible by Howard S. Wright (1927-96), who endowed the Howard S. Wright chair in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Howard S. Wright graduated from the University of Washington in 1951 with a BA in Business Administration. After working in the family construction business, he founded Wright Runstad & Co. with Jon Runstad. Howard S. Wright built the Space Needle, the Seattle Art Museum, the Monorail, and many other Puget Sound area landmarks.

Wright's civic and charitable involvement were numerous and included the Seattle Foundation, the University of Washington, PONCHO, Seattle Opera Association, and the Seattle Arts Commission. The Seattle Times has said that "Howard was a man of very solid values and unquestionable integrity and had a vision and astuteness as a businessman. He was a wonderful human being and had a great enthusiasm." The community service projects constructed by the HSW design / build studio at UW continue Howard S. Wright's rich legacy in Seattle.

Steve Badanes Steve attended Wesleyan University for undergraduate studies and Princeton University, where he received a master's degree in architecture. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, as well as a Fellowship from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. He has conducted design / build workshops at the University of Technology in Helsinki, the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, the University of Miami, Ball State University, the University of California San Diego, and Florida A&M University.

As a practicing architect, his commissions have included private homes, artist's studios, and the winning entry, "The Fremont Troll" in the Hall of Giants 1990 Competition at Seattle, Washington. Steve is a founder of Jersey Devil, an architectural firm perpetuating the tradition of medieval craftsmen. The firm is comprised of skilled craftsmen, architects, inventors, and artists "committed to the interdependence of building and design." Jersey Devil architect / builders live on-site during construction of their designs, which are known for energy efficiency and innovative use of materials. Steve has lectured on Jersey Devil work in 46 states and 10 countries. The work has been profiled in Devil's Workshop - 25 years of Jersey Devil Architecture published by Princeton Architectural Press.

As the HSW Chair at UW, he leads community based student design / build projects in Seattle and co-founded the Mexico design/build program with UW professor Sergio Palleroni. During the summer he teaches at the Yestermorrow design/build school in Vermont and has worked in Africa with Miami University Dept. of Architecture.

Damon Smith Damon co-teaches the HSW studio. He received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Washington. Damon is a partner in SHED, a local Seattle design / build collaborative. SHED recently completed the design and construction of the Market Heritage Museum at Pike Place Market.